Method and means for protecting hats from perspiration



22, 1933- c. H. MERRITT 1,923,550

METHOD AND MEANS FOR PROTECTING HATS FROM PERSPIRATION Filed Nov. 21, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 22, 1933.

C. H. MERRITT METHOD AND MEANS FOR PROTECTING HATS FROM PERSPIRATION Filed Nov. 21. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ill/Ill Patented Aug. 22, 1933 METHOD AND MEANS FOR PROTECTING HATS FROM PERSPIRATION Charles H. Merritt, Danbury, Comm, assignor to The Clark Box Company, Danbury, 001111., a Corporation of Gonnecticut Application November 21, 1931 Serial No. 576,583

Claims.

This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for fastening moisture proof strips and-leather bands into soft felt hats.

Without moisture proof material arranged be 5 tween a hat and the leather the hat and its silk band sooner or later become stained.- Protection against'such soiling is especially desir" able with light Weight felt hats of the style being extensively made at the present time,and

in which protecting reeds or cords cannot be readily inserted between the hats and the leathers.

Machines have been devised for sewing leathers directly into hats without moisture proof strips inserted between the leathers and the hats, but this method has not proved satisfactory as perspiration soaks through the leathers and soils the hats and the silk outside band. Formerly, to overcome this fault perspiration proof strips of oil-silk, reed-cloth, or strips with reeds or cords, were first stitched to the l athers and then' the leathers with the attached perspiration proof strips were sewed into the hats.

The object of the present invention is to provide a method of and means for feeding and stitching a hat, the leather and an interposed moisture proof strip simultaneously. By feeding and stitching the hat, the leather and the strip together at one operation time and and the danger of the hat and the silk band becoming soiled by perspiration is eliminated in a very economical way.

The object of the invention is attained by providing a sewing machine having means for guiding and feeding a hat so as to present the. inner edge of the brim to the stitching means, with means for feeding and guiding a strip of moisture proof material so that its outer edge will conform to and lie closely against the inner edge of the hat brim, and also withmeans for feeding and guiding a leather band so that its outer edge will conform to the outer edge of the moisture proof strip, in such relation that the hat, perspiration strip and leather will be presented to the stitching means and secured together by one stitching.

In theaccompanying drawings Fig. 1 shows a top view of so much of the mechanism, operating upon a hat, as is necessary to an understanding of the invention. Fig. 2 shows a side view of the same. Fig. Bshows a plan of the stitching, feeding and guiding mechanisms. Fig. 4 shows a side elevation of the stitching, feeding and guiding mechanisms. Fig.5 shows a 00 expense are saved, a neat product is produced,

section of V a hat, leather and interposed strip, illustrating the manner in which the strip is guided between the hat and leather. Fig. 6 is a sectional view, on larger scale, through the feeding means at the point of stitching. Fig. 7 is a detail plan view of the feeding means and elements of the thread loop-forming mechanisms.

The invention is illustrated in connection with a single thread overedge chain stitch sewing 5 machine of the type shown in U. S. Patent No $39,548, November 9, 1909. In such a machine the needle 1 is'reciprocated horizontally and the looper 2 is reciprocated and oscillated at the proper time in a general horizontalplane to 00- operate with the needle and the looper fingers" 3 and 4, for forming the stitch. A feed disk 5 with a serrated edge is fastened to the upper end of a vertical shaft 6 that is. rotated so that the disk edge when engaged with a hat brim will feed the hat to the stitching mechanism. A feed disk '7, which also has a serrated edge designed to engage the sweat leather, is mounted to turn freely on an arm 8. The looper fingers 3 and i are mounted on the arm 8 above thefeed disk 7. This arm 8, as shown in the patent above referred to, is pivotally mounted at its lower end so that its upper end may be swung outward to open the space between the feed disks and permit the ready insertion of a hatflbrim and leather between the edges of the disks which normally when the machine is stitching are adjacent to each other. Loosely mounted on a bracket 9 attached to the arm 8 is a thin disk 10 that is free to turn in a substantially ver-- tical plane with its upperedge between the hat feed disk 5 and leather feed disk 7. Pivotally mounted on the arm 8 is a guide wing 11 that is substantially vertical but is curved so as to conform generally to the outside ofthe crown of the hat which is passed through the machine. Attached to this wing is the lower end of an arm 12. Mounted on the upper end of this arm 12 is an angle bracket 13, the

bracket preferably being slotted and fastened in place by a thumb screw l lthat passes through the slot and is threaded into the upper end of the arm, in such manner that the bracket may be adjusted up and down and also angularly 10 turns one edge of the strip, a loop 18 which turns H the edge of the strip still further, and a loop 19 which completes the folding over of the edge of the strip. The inner end of the guide 15 is turned downward and has eyes 20 and 21 through which the perspiration strip is threaded and fromwhich it passes tothe stitching mechanism, and at this end is a finger 22 under which the sweat leather passes. Pivoted to a bracket 23 that is attached to the arm 8 is a plate 24 that carries a guiding finger 25 and a guiding finger 26..

In using this machine the upper end of the arm 8 is swung forward by the usual means so as to open the space between the hat feed disk 5 and the leather feed disk 'I. This movement of the arm also carries the looper fingers 3 and 4, guide fingers 25 and 26, guide wing 11 and perspiration strip guide 15 outward. The hat is then inserted with the brim 2'7 folded down over the disk 10 and guide wing 11, and inside of the arm 12. The arm 8 is then allowed to swing back so that the folded edge of the brim will rest upon the upper end of the disk 10 between the closed feed rolls 5 and '7, after which the guide fingers 25 and 26, which are turned up when the hat is inserted, are folded down so as to rest upon the folded inner edge of the brim and hold it down upon the disk 10. The perspiration strip 28 is then threaded through the eyes of the guide'15, the inner end of which is adjusted so that the folded edge of the perspiration strip will feed in against the edge of the crown 29 of the hat, on the same line as the folded inner edge of the brim.. The sweat leather 30 is then inserted with its edge under the finger 22 of the guide 15, so that the outer edge of the sweat leather will conform to the outer edge of the perspiration strip. When the Q stitching mechanism is started the needle passes through the folded edge of the brim, the folded edge of the perspiration strip and the outer edge of the sweat leather, without passing completely through the body of the hat, so that the stitching will not show on the outside of the hat. As the stitching mechanism operates the friction between the feed roll 5 and the inner edge of the brim, and the pressure of the feed roll '7 against the sweat leather causes the hat to travel around in proper relation to the needle and pivotally supported wing for guiding the hat, of means carried by and movable with said wing for guiding a strip of perspiration proof material into the hat and locating its outer edge along the inner edge of the brim, means carried by and movable with said wing for guiding a leather into the hat and locating its outer edge along the outer edge of said perspiration strip, and mechanism for feeding together the hat, strip. and leather to stitching position.

2. The combination with the stitching mechanism of a sewing machine which has a rotatable support for a hat at the fold of its brim and means for guiding the hat, of means carried by said hat guide for folding the edge of and guiding a strip of perspiration proof material into the hat and locating the folded edge along the inner edge of the brim, means carried by said hat guide for guiding a leather into the hat and loeating its outer edge along the folded edge of said perspiration strip, and mechanism for feeding together the hat, strip and leather to stitching position.

3. The combination with the Stitching mechanism of a sewing machine which has a support for the folded edge of a hat brim, a roll adapted to engage and feed the folded edge of the hat brim and a roll adapted to engage and feed a leather into a hat, of a pivotally supported wing adapted to guide the hat crown, an arm attached to said wing, and means having a guide adapted to direct a strip of perspiration proof material and'a guide adapted to direct a strip of leather betweenthe edges of said rolls, carried by said arm.

4. The combination with the stitching mechanism of a sewing machine which has a disk adapted to support the folded edge of a hat brim, a roll adapted to engage the folded edge of the hat brim, a roll adaptedto engage a leather fed into a" hat and means for guiding the hat between said rolls, of an arm mounted on said hat guide, a bracket pivotally attached to said arm saidbracket carrying means for guiding a strip of perspiration proof material and a strip of leather into the hat and between the said rolls at stitching location.

5. The combination with the stitching mechanism of a sewing machine which has a disk adapted to support the folded edge of a hat brim, a roll adapted to engage the folded edge of the hat brim, a roll adapted to engage a leather fed into a hat and means for guiding the hat between said rolls, of means pivotally mountadapted to'fold the edge of a strip of perspiration proof material, eyes positioned to direct said strip into the hat with its folded edge along the folded edge of the brim, and a finger positioned to direct the leather into the hat and position it against said perspiration strip.

CHARLESH. MERRITT.

ed on said hat guide, said means having loops 

